Valencia, Fla., Jul 10, 2006 / 12:00 am (CNA).- During his participation at the International Theological Pastoral Conference at the World Meeting of Families in Valencia last week, Cardinal Stanislaw Dzwisz recalled John Paul II, as “the Pope of the family.”

According to the AVAN news agency, John Paul II’s former secretary emphasized the late Pontiff’s “courage and conviction” in defending and promoting the family.

During his comments, Cardinal Dzwisz underscored that John Paul II, “always expressed with courage his concern for the family in the countries he visited and he made concrete decisions with initiatives in favor of life.” “He always believed that family ministry was an enormous issue and that a certain sensitivity and clear conviction regarding the important role the family plays in the Church was needed,” the cardinal maintained.

The model of the family according to John Paul II, the cardinal continued, “depends upon the education young people receive, and thus he always dedicated much time to youth ministry.”

Cardinal Dzwisz also noted the numerous family institutions created during John Paul II’s pontificate, including the Institute for the Family, the Pontifical University of Theology of Krakow, and the Pontifical Council for the Family, as well as his numerous writings on the family, such as Familiaris Consortio, the Letter to Families, and the Gospel of Life.

John Paul II, “took advantage of his literary skills to make his Christian vision of the family known to the greatest number of persons possible,” through such works as “The Jeweler’s Shop,” the cardinal stated.